emmd

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Score6.7

Rank#13 of 29

Free planNo

Runs oniOS, Linux, macOS, Windows

Summary

emmd is a free Sega Genesis (Mega Drive) emulator written in Go and aimed at Model 1 hardware. Its desktop interface provides a game library that can scan ROMs, show artwork and metadata, and manage save states. It also includes rewind, fast-forward, shader effects, RetroAchievements integration, and configurable settings. The emulator supports the Motorola 68000 and Zilog Z80 processors, VDP rendering, YM2612 FM synthesis, and SN76489 PSG audio. Two-player three-button and six-button controllers are supported, along with battery-backed SRAM and save states checked using CRC32 checksums and ROM CRC matching. It handles NTSC and PAL regions, detected from the ROM header or selected manually. A LibRetro core is available for compatible frontends. The project targets officially licensed, released Genesis games; it does not support unlicensed or homebrew games, prototypes, beta ROMs, or non-controller peripherals. It supports Windows, macOS, Linux, and iOS, and lists a GPL-3.0 license. Building the project requires Go 1.25 or later.

Who it is for

emmd suits people seeking a free Genesis emulator for supported games and compatible controllers. Building from source requires Go 1.25 or later.

What is good

Includes ROM scanning and library metadata.
Supports rewind, fast-forward, and shader effects.
Offers a LibRetro core.
Supports NTSC and PAL regions.
Free and licensed under GPL-3.0.

What to know first

Unlicensed and homebrew games are unsupported.
Prototype and beta ROMs are unsupported.
Non-controller peripherals are unsupported.
Building requires Go 1.25 or later.

Verdict

emmd offers a desktop game library alongside Genesis emulation and save-state features. Its stated scope excludes homebrew, unlicensed, prototype, and beta games, so check compatibility before choosing it.

Compared on Sega genesis emulators

Free plan: Yesgithub.com
Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOSgithub.com
System scope: genesis_onlygithub.com
Save states: Yesgithub.com
Shader support: Yesgithub.com
License: open_sourcegithub.com

Facts

Product: emmd is a Sega Genesis (Mega Drive) emulator written in Go and targeting Model 1 hardware.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Desktop library: Its desktop UI provides a game library with ROM scanning, artwork, metadata, save-state management, rewind, fast-forward, shader effects, RetroAchievements integration, and configurable settings.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Emulation: The emulator supports Motorola 68000 and Zilog Z80 CPUs, VDP rendering, YM2612 FM synthesis, and SN76489 PSG audio.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Controllers: It supports two-player 3-button and 6-button controllers.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Save data: It supports battery-backed SRAM and save states, which are checked with CRC32 checksums and ROM CRC matching.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Regions: It supports NTSC and PAL, with automatic detection from the ROM header and a manual region option.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Integration: A LibRetro core is provided for use with LibRetro-compatible frontends.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
macOS: The project documents a build target that creates a macOS application bundle with an icon and code signing.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Compatibility limit: The emulator targets officially licensed, released Genesis games and lists unlicensed or homebrew games, prototypes, beta ROMs, and non-controller peripherals as unsupported.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Development requirement: Building the project requires Go 1.25 or later.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Maker: The GitHub account for the repository is named John Schember and lists Florida, USA.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Purpose: emmd is a Sega Genesis (Mega Drive) emulator written in Go and targeting Model 1 hardware.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
Desktop features: The desktop UI includes a game library with ROM scanning, artwork, metadata, save state management, rewind, fast-forward, shader effects, RetroAchievements integration, and configurable settings.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
Emulated hardware: The emulator supports Motorola 68000 and Zilog Z80 CPUs, VDP rendering, YM2612 FM synthesis, and SN76489 PSG audio.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
Frontend integration: The project provides a LibRetro core for use with LibRetro-compatible frontends.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
Compatibility limits: The emulator targets officially licensed and released Genesis games and says it does not support unlicensed or homebrew games, prototype or beta ROMs, or non-controller peripherals.github.com · 3 Oct 2026
Build requirement: Building the project requires Go 1.25 or later.github.com · 3 Oct 2026